Legacy of War
by Forrestib
Summary: 50 years before team RWBY, Ozpin and Summer Rose fought to protect the world. However, they failed to protect the one thing they couldn't live without; each other. (Non-chronological)
1. 5 BP

Author's notes: Chapters will not be in chronological order. Events may be referred to that have not yet taken place. Be patient and in time all will be made very clear.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All ownership goes to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

Special thanks to all of my proofreaders and supporters without whom the writing would have certainly been even more ghastly than it already is.

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**5 BP (50 years before team RWBY)**

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Summer Rose sat by the fire and cleaned her scythe as the sunset gave its last few moments of red before descending into darkness. She stopped her work for a moment to examine the splash of color in the clouds, unique to this day in all of history. As the red faded to black she resumed her work only to be interrupted by a kick from the baby. It had been almost 9 months now. She smiled at the bump and set down her scythe to rest for a moment while the baby calmed down. Peter Port stood and walked away from the fire into the surrounding woods. He always vanished at sunset only to reappear the next morning weak and injured with no explanation. She had stopped questioning it after the third year. He would tell them when he needed to. Ozpin watched him as he disappeared into the night. Ozzy never had quite forgiven Port for keeping so many secrets.

Arthur Arc was sitting across from Summer. He was meditating. He could feel the Grimm in the forest. He could feel the glowing mass of life across the fire from him. He could feel the heat from the fire and he used the heat to strengthen his aura even further. He pushed his minds eye out into the forest. He forced himself further, out beyond the sky and the stars. He caught a glimpse of a light on the horizon before Ozpin shook him out of his trance.

Ozpin shouted at his friend "Hey! Wake up!" He shook Arthur until his eyes opened. Arthur jumped and grabbed Ozpin's shoulders with a look of terror on his face. Ozpin could only watch as his friend collapsed onto the ground. Arthur needed to recharge his aura for a while. Forsight always took a lot out of him. Ozpin lifted a blanket over Arthur before moving over to sit by Summer "Hey, how's our kid doing down there?"

She smiled at him. With the fragmented moonlight shining from above she looked like an angel. She pulled him into a kiss and placed his hand on her stomach "See for yourself."

Ozpin felt his daughter moving and laughed. At that moment he was surely the happiest man alive. The next morning Ozpin awoke quietly and looked over at Summer who was lying on the ground next to him. He gently kissed her on the head and pulled her closer. He looked up to see Peter shambling into camp in tattered clothing as he did every morning. Port had gotten himself some new scars this time on top of the usual bruising. Ozpin had never stopped wondering where Port vanished to, unlike the others.

Port grabbed some clothes and walked away to go change as Ozpin put out the fire. Summer was just awakening and Arthur was still fast asleep. When Peter returned and tucked his old clothes into his pouch to repair later Ozpin had already packed up the campsite. Summer went to awaken Arthur only to find that he was already awake. Arthur was lying perfectly still and deadeningly silent but still awake.

Arthur could tell that his team was worried about him by their auras. They were sapping the area of its tranquility by trying to help him. He wanted to tell them that he was alright but he would have to leave to do that. He couldn't leave quite yet. He hadn't found what he was looking for. He peered into the void searching for something. He likened it to trying to spot a drop of oil in the ocean during a hurricane from a kilometer away while flying past at 50 meters per second. He had been trying to pick this particular moment out of the void for almost a year now. He finally saw the familiar spark that he had so often missed. Arthur reached out and plucked the spark out of the air. He pulled it back with him. He pulled it all the way back through time and space. When he finally had dragged the now seemingly colossal factoid back to his body he gasped into wakefulness. He saw the concerned looks on all of their faces and smiled back at his friends "Hello again. I'm back. And i brought something with me this time." Ozpin and Summer looked at each other and then back at their friend who had been seemingly paralysed for the last hour. Arthur sat and smiled at them for a moment before telling them about his success "Ozzy, you were right. I did it. I brought something back with me."

Ozpin stared at him for a moment trying to process this information. Then he realized that there was a very important question to be asked "Wait, what did you bring back?"

Ozpin waited for an answer from his beaming friend. Arthur stood up and told him "As soon as you told me that you and Summer were trying to have a baby i knew that i had to check. Ozzy, i saw your granddaughter. I saw her demolish more beowolves in 3 minutes than any of us could even survive against. She was amazing, or i guess she will be anyway." Ozpin could only stare at Arthur as he processed what he was hearing.

Summer was the first to break the silence that followed "So we will have a granddaughter? And she'll be a huntress?"

Arthur nodded "Perhaps the greatest huntress that the world has ever known. Certainly the greatest that i've ever seen." Ozpin finally shook himself out of his shock and turned to Summer with a grin wider than he had known was possible. He held the hands of the woman he loved in his own and cheered exuberantly into the sky.

What none of them were aware of was how much of that moment in time Arthur had lost. He had let so much of it slip through his fingers on the journey home. He had forgotten the context of what he had seen. He had forgotten the tragedy in the young girl's eyes. And perhaps most importantly he had forgotten the tombstone that the girl had been visiting.

10 hours later the group was still travelling. They had left the woods behind several hours ago and now were keeping a safe distance from some rather tall nearby cliffs. It had started snowing about an hour ago. The team were all cold and tired but they knew that they were already behind schedule. Arthur was in the lead as usual and had started up a marching chant to encourage further progress.

"When worlds unravel, are caught in grimm peril, the final hope must be Vale.

Whose soldiers will rival, any in Vytal, be it in combat or drinking of ale.

When dragons awaken, we must be unshaken, death cannot take us before we are done.

For if Vale is to thrive, it is due to our strife, so why not have some more whiskey and rum?"

The group marched on. When they reached the top of one of the peaks Summer started to cry out. Ozpin ran to her side and caught her as her face turned red. Arthur stopped and looked back at the couple worriedly. Peter Port walked over to her and inquired "Ms Rose? Are you alright? Can you continue?"

Summer looked up at him and screamed in response "The baby, it's coming!"

Peter stared at her in disbelief as Arthur rushed to prepare the area. Port couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed "Can you hold it for a few minutes? There's a village just over that hill."

Summer glared at the man before screaming now out of anger in addition to pain "I'm having a baby you dolt! not taking a piss!" Peter backed off and spent a moment to register what was happening before going to Arthur to see how he could help.

The next few hours were very difficult. With Port's help Arthur got an area clean and protected enough to deliver. Ozpin helped her move over to the space that had been cleared of snow. After what felt like an eternity Ozpin saw the child for the first time. Arthur laughed as he declared to the group "It's a boy!"

Ozpin smiled and laughed in return "A boy? I have a son?" Arthur nodded in confirmation before Summer let out another scream.

He quickly handed the first child over to Port and returned to the work at hand. Arthur turned to Ozpin and told him "And you might have a daughter too in not too very long!"

By the time the second child came Ozpin's hand felt like every bone had been crunched to pieces by Summer's grip, but he didn't care. When he saw his daughter for the first time a warmth rose through his body and his grin grew even bigger than before. Summer lay on the ground gasping for air.

Summer looked up at the father of her children as he was handed two tiny little human figures that she was fully familiar with even though she had never seen them before. Ozpin told her as she smiled up at the sight "We have a daughter! and a son! What should we name them?"

Summer looked at her daughter and her son and the inspiration was immediate "Her name is Red. And we should call him Qrow, after your grandfather."

Ozpin nodded in agreement with the names. He looked down at the bundles of new life in his arms as Arthur and Port silently exited the tent. He looked into each of their eyes and nodded again with his grin returning "Red and Qrow Rose." He looked up and smiled at Summer as he handed her Red and then Qrow.

She looked at her children and kissed them on the head as her head swam with thoughts of nothing in particular. a half hour had passed before Summer and Ozpin emerged from the tent glowing with positive aura. It brought a smile to Arthur's face. Arthur and Port packed up the tent and the team started walking towards the village with two more people than when they'd started.

After a few minutes Arthur's eyes widened as he remembered something "Oh! Summer! I made something for you, or rather for your baby." He pulled out a bright red baby blanket and handed it over to her "I started sewing as soon as i heard that you were with child. I'm sorry i only made one, i wasn't expecting twins."

She took the blanket and smiled at Arthur "It's fine. It's big enough for them to share for now."

When they reached the village they rented a room and ordered some food. As they ate the sun was setting and Summer and Ozpin were parents. The unique sunset shined through the window to perfectly frame the faces of the sleeping newborns. The moment was perfect. After a few more minutes Port left the table to vanish into the night as he always did.

An hour later Red awoke and started to cry. Summer walked over to the crib that Arthur had bought and started to sing. She sang the same song that her mother had sung to her before she had died when Summer was only 5.

"Dream of anything

I'll make it all come true...

With a touch of my hand

I will turn your life to gold...

Close your eyes

Don't you cry

Love's around you

In time you'll fly"

Red was asleep again. Summer gave her a kiss before going back to bed.

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Up next: 10 years later


	2. 5 AP

Special thanks to the 2013 Americorps graduation ceremony for giving me some inspiration for the speech.

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**5 AP (40 years before team RWBY)**

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Ozpin was terrified. In 5 minutes he would have to stand in front of over 2000 people and give a speech. He had 5 minutes to give it and he had only written 5 sentences. He looked into the mirror as he tied his tie and begged himself to stop sweating. He stuffed the folded piece of paper with what he had scribbled for his speech on it in his coat pocket. He wrapped a scarf around his neck and put on his hat and glasses before he heard a familiar voice behind him.

Peter spoke to the nervous wreck that stood before him looking into the mirror "You should try your best to not drown before you speak to the masses my friend."

Ozpin turned around and chortled "You try opening a school without doing the same. It's not as easy as it appears." Port smiled through his moustache and chuckled to himself before placing a reassuring hand on the shoulder closest to him.

Peter spoke in a calm voice "You are one of the two greatest men I have ever had the honor to have met. You survived the great war. You survived the greatest form of loss. And most astonishingly you survived my own wrath. You can survive a few dozen nosey reporters for the next 5 minutes. Ozpin grew the seed of a half-hearted smile and nodded slowly.

He walked out to the podium and took in the view. There were about 2 rows of reporters at the front of the crowd. Behind them was a row of officials and politicians who stood with a glow of arrogance about them. After that were the children and their parents. Many of the smaller children sat on their father's shoulders. And at the back were the masses, a horde of over a thousand people who had no apparent purpose for even being present.

Ozpin cleared his throat to test the microphone. He pulled the crumpled wad of paper from his pocket and started reading "5 years ago the world was close to ruin. The armies were all dead and the monsters were stronger than ever. Hunters and huntresses were the last hope for humanity. We were vastly outnumbered. No one had told us how to do what we had to do."

He realized that he had run out of scripted speech. He paused for a moment before he tore the slip of paper in half and let it fall to the ground. He looked up at the cameras before him and laughed at his own unpreparedness. He loosened his scarf as he continued "My partner was one of the greatest huntresses that I've ever known. She was smart, she was wise, and she was truly a good human being above all else."

He dropped his scarf to the ground and started to remove his coat as he continued "She was of the belief that had the huntsmen had proper education and training the war might have been easier on us all." Ozpin looked at his feet for a moment in reflection before taking off his hat and loosening his tie "When she suggested the idea of starting a school to train warriors into becoming huntsmen I thought she was crazy. I thought the task was insurmountable for even the greatest of teachers."

He was sweating like a madman but this was more important than that. His eyes were widened and his heart was beating at combat rates "But the more I thought about it the more I realized how much said school could do for the world. We would no longer have to worry about our children being eaten in the big city. We would no longer have to watch our backs every second of every day for fear that this will be the day we've waited for, this will be the day we die."

He pulled a chair up to the podium "But now, in a few years once my school has its first graduates, we won't have to worry so much any more. There will be someone else watching out for us. This new generation of huntsmen will change the world. I'm telling you today that that will be the day we've all waited for, the day of life, the day of peace, the day that no-one dies at the hands of Grimm or man"

He took off his tie and started on one of his shoes as he removed the Mic from the stand and brought it closer "And I feel that it is important to state that this will not be a military venture. I feel that more official sources of protection have failed us in some way. We are still alive, but at what cost?" He got to work on the other shoe after placing his glasses on the podium.

"People are scared of the dark. They're scared of each other. They're scared to leave their own homes. We are alive, but we never get to live anymore." Ozpin stood and started to pace "I'd like to quote an old friend of mine if I may, Arthur Arc. He once said to me 'No true victory can ever come from the military. The only true victory is peace, and that the military simply cannot provide under the nature of what it is."

He stopped and stood, staring into the souls of the people present " 'For perhaps victory lies in the simpler things that they have long forgotten, things that require a smaller and more honest soul.' I believe in all these things. I believe that a new era is upon us, A new era of great peace. And I believe that this will be the day we've waited for. For this is the day that humanity stands up and says 'no, I may fall, but not today, it won't be by your hand' "

Ozpin ran his fingers through his hair before sitting down for his final statement "I'd like to read you the first draft for the pledge that all graduates must take at beacon. I will not be ordering my students to do anything. They will forge their own strategies and they will direct their own actions as they see fit within the confines of the oath. It's not quite finished so I'm open to criticism after the ceremony"

"I will uphold the well-being of human kind in all its forms above all else.

I will maintain life and all its freedoms.

Thirdly I will protect myself and my fellow huntsmen for the future betterment of the world.

I will be present to assist whenever I know that I am needed.

And lastly I will pursue my own contentedness for as far as it does not exceed the higher priorities."

"I'd like to take this oath now along with whoever chooses to join me." Ozpin stood and raised his hand as he repeated the oath with his eyes closed. When he opened them he saw that every single person in the audience had taken the oath with him. He turned towards Port who had his hand held high and smiled. He then looked at his watch and saw that he was 10 minutes over his speech limit.

Ozpin quickly walked to the podium and replaced the Mic on the stand. "Thank you" he spoke as he grabbed the giant scissors next to him and walked over to cut the ribbon holding the front gate closed. He looked back at the crowd behind him and smiled at them as he dug his bare feet into the ground. He shouted as he cut the ribbon "Welcome to Beacon!"

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3 years earlier

Ozpin stood on the plot of land that would have once been his future. All he could think of was the past. He stood on the grass looking over beacon cliffs unsure about what he would do with the land he had purchased. He turned to Peter who had appeared behind him and then turned back to overlooking the cliff. Port looked at him worriedly "I didn't know you were this depressed. You know you can always be a farmer or something."

Ozpin looked at him confusedly before his eyes widened "no no no! I'm not up here for that." Ozpin explained "I bought this land with her. Now what do I do with it?" Port nodded "it's a beautiful plot of land, very spacious. I'm sure you'll think of something." Ozpin smiled back at his friend as an idea came to him "She had always liked the idea of starting a school. I think I should honor that wish." Port gave him a reassuring smile "I think she'd like that."

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Up next: 18 years later


	3. 20 AP

Special thanks to the co-creator of Susan's weapon.

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**20 AP (25 years before team RWBY)**

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Glynda Goodwitch stood at the gates of beacon academy in awe. She stopped just short of the threshold aware that a new era in her life was being born. She was about to cross over the line when she heard her friends behind her.

Cinder walked past Glynda and turned around to summon her to follow "What are you waiting for? Glory awaits."

Glynda watched as Cinder was joined by a green blur that passed all of them faster than they could perceive it.

Susan Xiao Long put her hand on Glynda's shoulder and smiled at her "Come on. Things are usually better to look at from the inside."

Glynda smiled and stepped over the line into what she knew to be her destiny.

Bartholomew Oobleck glided over to her and spoke in a voice that sounded vaguely more excited than his usual tone "Hurry up! I just scouted out the whole school. They have a Mk 4 Rareworks Galata training room! No bunk beds though. I checked every dorm." He blurred away before anyone could respond. This was the most excited she had ever seen him.

Once the four had found their way to the auditorium they stood and waited for the reason that they had been directed there. After a few moments Ozpin walked onto the stage and tapped the microphone to test it before clearing his throat.

Susan turned to Glynda "Who's that?"

Ozpin spoke "I am professor Ozpin. I am the headmaster at beacon."

"Oh." Susan responded. Glynda chuckled slightly.

"So most of you have probably come here under the assumption that this school will teach you how to become great. You would be wrong. During your time here at beacon you will be given all the tools you need to survive the tests you must endure in the outside world. How you use them will determine how well you fare against the creatures of Grimm as well as your own demons. You must learn to do what needs to be done, or be consumed by darkness of one kind or the other. Nothing will be able to save you except for your own determination and skill. Initiation is tomorrow morning at beacon cliffs."

The next morning they woke up and went to breakfast. Cinder told the rest her plan for initiation "So I've done some research and the students at beacon are separated into teams of four. We should come up with a plan to ensure that we end up as a team."

Bartholomew inquired further "how would we go about doing that If we don't know how the team's are decided?"

Cinder answered "I've thought about that. However they decide the teams I figure as long as we stick together and stay away from everyone else they won't have much of a choice."

Susan nodded "makes sense to me"

After breakfast they went to beacon cliffs and lined up on the platforms being sure to all strand next to one another. After Ozpin explained their goal they saw the first students being launched into the air. Cinder reached out her hands to Glynda and Bart and the four friends followed suit. Cinder was launched off the cliff and dragged the other four through the air with her. Glynda used her other hand to create a landing platform with her glyphs. The four friends landed and then froze on the ground.

Cinder asked the question that everyone had on their minds "so how do we partner up within our team?"

Glynda gave her opinion "how about we decide on a team leader and then they decide."

Susan nodded "I agree. Cinder should be the leader"

Bartholomew agreed "she always has been in the past."

Cinder responded to her newly elected position "ok then, I want Glynda as my partner."

Glynda nodded "no complaints here"

Susan was the first to break position as she turned her head to look at Bartholomew. He turned and smiled at her as their eyes met. Cinder then turned to Glynda and the pairings were formed.

The four heard gunfire and started running the opposite direction. If they never met any other students it would be difficult for the pairs to get put into separate teams. Bartholomew blurred away and back "3 other students have encountered a shadow oak"

Susan's eyes widened "they're not playing around with these Grimm. This should be fun."

Cinder asked Bartholomew "did you see the forest temple anywhere?" He shook his head.

Susan spoke up "then we better get moving. The more ground we cover the more likely we are to find it." The group nodded in agreement and ran into the woods. After an hour or so of walking Susan started hearing an ominous humming sound. After a few seconds Susan asked "Does anyone else hear that?"

Bartholomew inquired as to the nature of the sound "what is it?"

Susan stopped and listened "It's like a hum, or a buzz." Her eyes widened as she drew her machete and turned towards a nearby tree "It's rapier wasps. Probably at least a thousand. They're coming from over there." Her blade bent to the side and started to spin like a propeller.

Glynda prepared to use burn dust as Cinder did the same. Bartholomew pulled out his tommy gun and loaded it with a drum of scattershot rounds. The wasps started to get much louder before the swarm came into view. It blackened the sky.

Glynda quickly set up a dome shield glyph as Cinder started to burn everything around them. Bartholomew fired into the sky. Susan quickly realized that she wouldn't be much help in this fight and got behind the other 3. The dome shield was turning red and about to fail. Bartholomew ran out of ammo and pushed a button on his drum before throwing it upwards. It exploded killing the vast majority of the wasps as well as killing what remained of their shield. Cinder then released a huge shockwave of fire killing what few of the creatures remained. The group began walking once again.

An hour or so later they heard a girl screaming nearby. Bartholomew turned to run and help but his arm was grabbed by Cinder "If you go after her then what's to stop them from putting you on her team?"

Bartholomew looked at Cinder with what could almost be described as desperation "If i don't help her she might die." The two stared at each other for a moment before Bartholomew negotiated "I won't let her see me. I'll be gone before the beast hits the ground." Cinder nodded at this and let go of his arm. He glided into the woods and a few moments later gunshots were heard. He reappeared next to Susan right before a large *THUD* was heard through the trees. Bartholomew turned towards Cinder and repeated "Gone before the beast hit the ground. She never saw me." She nodded at him in approval and started walking again.

After walking for a while longer they found the forest temple. Cinder commented on the nature of the relics "playing cards?"

Glynda responded "I guess we should pick"

Bartholomew looked somewhat annoyed "there aren't too many left. What do you think of the queen of hearts Susan?"

"Sounds good to me." she said.

Cinder grabbed the stone slab that represented the queen of diamonds and started back towards the cliffs. When they found a path up the rocky surface they hesitated. It was a very skinny ledge with numerous gaps that would need to be jumped and no cover. Cinder turned to Bartholomew and gestured with her head for him to proceed "Gentlemen first."

Bartholomew gave her a funny look before passing her and cautiously stepping onto the precipice that just barely fit his feet when he tilted them to the side "I've never heard that version of the phrase before."

Glynda made a mental note that she thought this was the first time she had ever actually seen his legs move. After he was a meter or so along Susan followed him onto the track. Cinder stepped on next and beckoned Glynda to come along. After they had inched about halfway up the cliff face the whole area started to shake.

Bartholomew screamed behind him "Glynda please tell me that was you!"

Glynda yelled back over the sound of cracking rock "Sorry, none of my glyphs can do anything like this." At that moment the ground at the bottom of the cliff burst open and a giant millipede rose to tower above them all. It was almost as tall as the cliff itself and had legs as long as train cars at what seemed to be half-meter intervals across its entire body. Its pincers could easily chop a small building into kindling and its shell was covered in spikes.

Susan shouted at the top of her lungs so that everyone could hear her "CRAP! I am not ready for a nightcrawler!" Everyone quickly drew their weapons being careful not to lose their balance. Cinder wasted no time in sending a plume of flame at the towering insect. It did nothing. Bartholomew loaded a drum of armor-piercing rounds and aimed for the face. The creature was startled by the impact and staggered back crushing several dozen trees behind it. Susan took this opportunity to leap off her ledge and slide down its exposed underbelly with her machete slicing off a large number of the legs on its left side. It was noticeably angered by this and thrust itself towards Bartholomew who it had assumed to be the culprit. He rushed out of the way as Glynda used a glyph to push herself and Cinder the opposite direction down the path. The nightcrawler burrowed a large hole into the surface where the platform had once been. Susan had managed to climb her way back to the top of the creature and found herself running away from a quickly approaching rock wall on the creatures back. She lept to the side and dug her weapon into the stone grinding to a halt in front of Cinder. Once the creature was past she grabbed Cinder and dug her machete into the wall. It started to spin and rolled the two of them across the vertical wall untill they reached the hole that the insect had left. Once they rolled off the wall they started to fall to the floor of the newly created tunnel. They landed and Susan once again grabbed Cinder and dragged her over to the opposite wall. She ascended the rounded surface with ease and with a twist they found themselves on the platform next to Bartholomew. Glynda launched herself into the air and created a series of platform glyphs for herself to jump across.

Once they all had reached the other side Cinder screamed at the others "That thing is coming back!" And so it was. It burst out of the ground in the same place as it had before widening the hole it had left the first time. This time it crawled out of the hole completely and started to wriggle towards the four students. Cinder blasted its face with fire as it crawled up the wall towards them. This time it felt the fire through its wounds and let out a roar that started to crumble the already insufficient ledge. The four started to fall. Susan quickly dug her weapon into the wall and grabbed Bartholomew's hand. He grabbed Cinder and Cinder reached for Glynda. She had already fallen too far. Susan started rolling them all down the cliff after her as Glynda created a gravity glyph to give her just enough of a boost to grab Cinder's hand. Glynda put away her wand and caught Bartholomew's weapon which he had thrown down to her. She emptied the drum into the nightcrawler's face and watched as it fell over backwards. She saw a hole in its stomach that Susan had created and dropped the armed drum down inside the beast. Green goo covered the treetops as the creature exploded, its thousands of legs scattering across the landscape. One of them embedded itself a meter away from Cinder's head.

Susan began rolling them across the wall once they had checked that everyone was ok. After they had found the next intact piece of pathway they dropped off of the machete that held them in place one-by-one. Glynda handed Bartholomew back his weapon and the two exchanged a smile.

Once they had made it back to the top Ozpin was present to greet them "Congratulations, you passed initiation." He said with a smile as they handed him their playing cards and collapsed on the ground behind him. He chuckled to himself silently.

They were declared as team LGOC (legacy) later that day as they had retrieved the red queen cards. To Cinder's disbelief Glynda was announced as the team leader. That night they found their dorm and quickly fell into welcome unconsciousness. All except for Glynda who lay awake wondering what awaited her on tomorrow's grand horizon.

* * *

Up next: 35 years earlier.


	4. 15 BP Jan-Aprl

Special thanks to the writers of the DCAU as well as Kevin Conroy for heavily inspiring the character of Fu McGinnis through their portrayal of Batman.

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**15 BP January-April (60 years before team RWBY)**

* * *

January

Peter stood in front of his entire village with the Beowolf wrapped in chains behind him. His best friend, Fu McGinnis, approached him in awe of what he had done. Her ears threatened to poke out of her hood as she looked at the beast he had captured "wow, Peter, I didn't think you could actually do it."

Peter handed her the chain and walked home to change out of his tattered clothing as the villagers stared with mouths wide open in amazement.

* * *

February

The party was quite merry. It was Peter's birthday as well as the one-month marker since he had captured the beast who was now named Edgar. The townsfolk kept Edgar in an abandoned storm cellar that had been reinforced to keep it from escaping. Peter appeared happy and festive for the masses but in truth he was not. One month ago he had discovered that he wasn't human. He poured himself a glass of punch and grabbed a slice of cake before silently slipping into the background and finding a solitary place to clear his mind. He didn't eat much.

Arthur saw the guest of honor disappearing into a nearby building. He followed the boy. He needed to talk to this boy. When he found Peter he was sitting in a corner of a dark room sipping his punch with an uneaten plate of cake next to him. Arthur spoke to the boy "you know what you did really was extraordinary."

Peter jumped from the sudden noise and turned towards the stranger "no, it really wasn't. I didn't do anything that anyone else wouldn't've done."

Arthur nodded "true, but you did something that no-one else could've done. You saved a lot of people. And I think you can save more."

Peter looked up "how?"

Arthur smiled at the boy "I'm building a team. A team that I hope can turn the tide of the war. I think you should be a part of it."

Peter shook his head "no, I'm not your man. I got lucky. I'm no hero."

Arthur Put his hand on Peter's shoulder "that's not what the people outside have been telling me."

* * *

March

Ozpin stood in line holding his falsified identification. He looked at the man holding the stamp. The man was carefully reading the medical history of another recruit. Ozpin looked at his papers memorizing his latest last name backwards as he knew he would need to. He eventually was standing in front of the man with the stamp and handed his papers over.

The man skimmed over the false papers before asking the usual questions "can you spell your last name backwards for me?"

Ozpin recited the letters "E. L. A. G."

The man looked over the picture and compared. He asked his next question "how stupid do you think I am mister 'Gale'?"

Ozpin dropped his smile and then tried to save his chances one more time "what do you mean?"

The man answered "you spelled your name backwards far too quickly and you knew exactly how to hand me your ID to help me scan it even though you couldn't see the scanner. You look exactly like this picture right down to the amount of stubble. And no-one ever fills out the bottom four lines on the third page unless they're really desperate to get in. You faked these papers and more than that, you've done it several times before. Nice try though."

Ozpin took back his fake papers and asked the man "could you maybe give me a few minutes before you call the cops?" He got no response. Ozpin quickly walked out into the rain dropping the identification into the trash on the way out.

Arthur approached the man in the rain and grabbed his arm before he could run "could you come with me please?"

Ozpin followed the man who he assumed to be an officer. They walked into a room with a table and two chairs. Ozpin sat down. Arthur dropped a large file onto the table and started flipping through it "Michael Jones, Shannon McCormick, Jackson Mercury, and now Owen Gale. I believe the real one is Ozpin, correct?"

Ozpin looked up at the officer and nodded "you missed Garth Middleton."

Arthur told him "You know you are the most determined person I've seen in a long time. Why do you want to join so badly?"

Ozpin answered "I want to help people. And I can fight too."

Arthur interrupted "except that you might accidentally hospitalize a teammate."

Ozpin winced at the mention before responding "that was five years ago. I've learned a Lot since then."

Arthur looked at him carefully "indeed you have. So you want to help win the war?"

Ozpin looked up at the man "more than anything."

Arthur smiled at him and stamped some papers before sliding them across the table "well ok."

* * *

April

Peter sat in the house that for his whole life had been his home. This would be the last night he would spend there before joining Arthur and his team. He had already said goodbye to everyone and packed up all his things, at least almost everyone anyway. He had yet to tell Fu that he was leaving. He lay on his bed and tried to sleep before his train early the next morning. He failed.

Fu knew that her best friend was leaving. He hadn't told her but she had seen him packing and saying goodbye to everyone else. She had even found out what train he was taking the next morning. She was planning to ambush him at the station before he left. She set her alarm with enough time to get there an hour early so that she could be there whenever he showed up. She tried to sleep in the meantime. She failed.

The next day Peter arrived at the station with all his bags in hand half an hour before the train would arrive. He paused when he saw Fu standing on the platform in front of him.

She looked him in the eye "Why weren't you going to tell me?"

Peter looked at his feet "I wanted to. I don't know why but i hate goodbyes. How did you find out?"

Fu was displeased "Does it matter? You should have said goodbye."

Peter responded "I know. I'm sorry."

Fu threw back her hood revealing her bat ears and fangs "Hey, look at me." Peter looked up at her as she asked him again "You know that you can tell me anything. Why weren't you going to tell me?"

Peter looked her in the eye as he gave his honest answer "Because i didn't want to lose you. If i said goodbye then that made it real."

Fu nodded in understanding "I get it. You wanted to be gone but you didn't want to leave." Peter shed a tear as she continued "You should've known that you'll never lose me. We've been friends longer than i can remember and that's not about to change anytime soon. But you really should've told me. What did you think would happen?"

Peter shook his head "I didn't think. I'm sorry."

Fu shushed him "No need for that. I'm here now." They sat on the bench to wait for the train. Fu didn't even raise her hood. She knew he was more comfortable when she had it down. She asked him "Where are you going?"

He looked past the wall opposite them into his own thoughts to find the answer "I don't know. wherever people need help. There's a team that i've been invited to join. A team that's going to help win the war."

Fu looked at him and smiled "I guess you always were a hero at heart. I think this team is lucky to have you. Who else is on it?"

Peter remembered what Arthur had told him over the phone "Right now it's just me and 2 other people. Arthur Arc and Ozpin. Arthur says that he's tracking another potential recruit right now."

Fu turned towards him "Arthur Arc? Do you know who he is?"

Peter shook his head "should i?"

Fu told him "Arthur Arc is the only reason remnant wasn't blown out of the sky instead of our moon. He almost died at the battle of Mt. Sol. He was poisoned by a shadow oak and crawled his way to the top of the volcano. He forged his sword and shield in the fires of the mountain and cut out his own infected flesh with the red-hot newly forged blade. After that he walked all the way to the whispering caves and single-handedly lay siege against the Grimm. He was the one that shattered the crystal before the day of dark alignment and saved the world. Your friend is a legend."

Peter felt his head spin at this new information. He sat there in thought for a moment before he realized that this was the last time for several years that he would get to talk to his best friend "I'm glad you came. There's no-one who i'd rather have with me now. After i'm gone what will you do?"

Fu turned away for a moment in thought "I don't know. I guess i'll just keep doing the same. stay in the shadows. Steal what i need from those who won't miss it."

Peter frowned at her "You can't live like this forever you know. You're not happy on the run. You have to promise me that you won't be alone. Get a job. Make some friends. You have to promise me that you'll have someone to talk to while i'm gone."

Fu looked up at him and nodded "Ok, I promise."

Peter pulled up her hood and gave her a one-armed hug. They sat on the bench leaning against each other for several minutes. Fu heard the train approaching and turned to Peter "Your ride is here."

Peter stood and picked up all his bags as he walked over to the train. He stopped at the door and turned towards his lifelong friend with a smile and said the only thing that needed to be said "Goodbye."

* * *

Up next: May


	5. 15 BP May-Aug

Authors note: I reference another fan-fiction in this chapter, "Coffee with Strangers" by TigerLilly22.

* * *

**15 BP May-August (60 years before team RWBY)**

* * *

May

Ozpin had been enduring all nature of tests and training exercises for the past month now. Apparently someone up high had finally decided that he wasn't going to shoot his friends in the back this time. He walked over to Arthur and handed over the stack of paperwork that said that he was combat ready.

Arthur looked at the papers and smiled "So you finally got through all the red tape i see. Now i can introduce you to the other member of our team."

Ozpin followed Arthur into a room where a 15 year old boy was punching a large dummy of an ursa. He spoke tp the boy "So you must be Peter, the boy who captured the wolf."

Peter turned around and unwrapped one of his hands "And you must be Ozpin, The man with 7 last names."

Ozpin smiled at the boy and shook his hand "You can just call me Ozpin. Nice to finally meet you."

Peter grinned at the man "Likewise."

* * *

June

Ozpin had just returned from a very exhausting mission with Peter when they heard the familiar beeping of the intercom. Ozpin walked to the box on the wall and answered the call "hello? Arthur?"

Arthur spoke with great enthusiasm "I need you to report to the debriefing chamber at once. I think I finally have a lead on our fourth member."

Ozpin sighed and shook his head before responding "I'll be there in 10 minutes."

Once they got there Peter was looking even more tired than Ozpin felt. Arthur spoke without turning away from his work "good, everyone's here. Now we can start. As you both know I've been tracking another potential recruit for about 3 months now. I think I have a clue as to their identity. I can't be certain but I think we may be dealing with Summer Rose here."

If they were tired before there was nothing left of that now. Ozpin widened his eyes as Peter stuttered out a response "Summer Rose? You've got to be kidding us Arthur. Please tell me this is some sick joke."

Arthur shook his head "no joke. I believe that I am tracking the enigmatic scythe wielding figure who saved an entire village from a pack of Beowolves before vanishing without a trace. I believe that I have found that very same Summer Rose."

Ozpin looked at him curiously "what makes you think that?"

Arthur finally turned to face the two and handed Ozpin a file. Ozpin took the file and opened it. It was a side-by-side comparison between the only known picture of Summer Rose and another much more recent image taken from a security camera in a bank. They had the same white cloak and the same scythe.

Peter asked Arthur with hesitation "so that's where we're going?"

Arthur responded "no, she's never stayed in one place longer than a month. By the time we got there she would be gone. I need another month to figure out her travel pattern."

Ozpin exhaled deeply. He was glad to have some time to prepare.

Arthur released the two and they walked out into the hallway. Peter looked at Ozpin his mouth still ajar "Summer Rose? What is Arthur thinking?"

Ozpin looked back at the door as they walked away "I think he's thinking that she's probably an excellent fighter. He's thinking she saved a lot of people. maybe she can help us save a few more."

* * *

July

Summer Rose knew she was being followed. Someone had noticed when she had slipped up about a month ago and they had been tracking her ever since. She knew that they knew where she was and she knew that they were probably here already. She walked the streets wating for them to slip up this time. She smiled as she heard a crunch of a shattered tile being stepped on above one of the nearby buildings. They were on the rooftops. She quickly vanished into the crowd with a shower of white rose petals as she had taught herself to do so long ago. Once she was in the air she got a good look at this person. It was a tall, handsome man wearing dark green carrying a cane even though he couldn't have been older than 30. He was currently scanning the streets below to see where she had vanished to. As summer began to fall from her high ground she swung her scythe to hook onto a flagpole and levered herself into a position to fall directly behind the emerald warrior. She landed without a sound and took a step back before snapping her scythe head back into a spear and quietly jabbing it gently into the green coat in front of her "Who are you and why are you following me?"

Ozpin froze in place at the feel of the sharp object being placed directly opposite of the skin to his spine. He slowly raised his hands without dropping his cane "Summer Rose i presume? My name is Owen Gale. I want to talk to you about ending the war."

Summer was careful to maintain disguising her voice through her surprise at the man's response "If you're not a criminal or a bounty hunter let's see some ID."

Ozpin nodded gently and used his free hand to reach inside his coat. He pulled out the badge Arthur had made them a few weeks ago and let it roll open over his shoulder as he tugged on the clear tab and took a deep breath. A few seconds later he felt the sharp presence go away and he heard a thud as the legendary Summer Rose hit the rooftop behind him. He turned around and looked down at her sleeping form. Her white cloak quietly fell back behind her and he saw her face for the first time. She was beautiful. Then he realized that he had without thinking started breathing again and the gas cloud had not yet dissipated. His mind was interrupted from berating his own carelessness by the fog that quickly overtook his thoughts.

When Ozpin awoke Arthur turned away from the glass through which Summer Rose could be seen. Arthur walked over to him "are you ok? You took quite a tumble, fell right off the roof. We had to stop traffic for a few minutes to get you out of the street."

Ozpin stretched "whatever that gas is it works like a charm. I didn't feel a thing."

Arthur turned back towards the window "well now that you're awake you can recruit her yourself. She'll be more receptive to someone she's dealt with before."

Ozpin sighed as he looked at her through the glass "it won't be easy. We captured her."

Arthur commented "that was only so that she'd listen to us. She'll understand that."

Ozpin gave him a funny look "you seem to know her pretty well."

Arthur laughed "I've been watching her in that room for the past 3 hours. You can learn a lot about someone in 3 hours."

Ozpin nodded. He turned towards the door "I guess I should get in there. Wish me luck." He walked over to the door and turned the handle. He hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open. She was sitting in one of the two chairs in the room and reading a book. This was the same room where Arthur had taken Ozpin to recruit him.

Summer was rereading her favorite book "Coffee with Strangers" when she heard the door open behind her. She finished the page she was on before taking note of the page number and closing the book. She spoke to the man who's breathing pattern and smell she recognized as the man from the rooftop "are you planning on questioning me now? If not I'd like to get back to my book."

Ozpin walked over to the chair opposite the woman and asked her "what's it about?"

Summer could hardly believe her ears "what?"

Ozpin clarified "your book, what's it about?"

Summer sat and blinked for a few seconds before answering "it's about a bookworm faunus and a human athlete who meet over coffee during a rainstorm and fall in love. It's my favorite book."

Ozpin nodded "sounds like a good one. I love books. My father used to read me all kinds of stories when I was little. I always wanted to be like the warriors from the classic stories; a hero."

"Heroes are overrated. My mother was a 'hero'. She was a member of the faunus freedom movement. One of only a dozen human supporters in history. she was killed for her good deeds. A bullet in the head from a former slave owner named Elliot Georgia. He was found innocent by the court after being seen by almost a hundred people chasing her through the streets holding the same custom model of weapon that killed her. So I sincerely hope that you never become a 'hero'. Heroes have a bad habit of dying young."

Ozpin nodded lightly with a solemn expression "how many people do you think she saved?"

Summer looked down "I don't know."

Ozpin leaned forward "Imagine all the people who's lives she improved. There are people alive now because of her sacrifice. Heroes may die but it's because of heroes that we can live at all. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few, or the one."

Summer laughed "what do you want? You didn't bring me in to talk about books or debate ethics. Why am I here?"

Ozpin laughed back "well that's the big question isn't it. Why are we here? We're born and then we live and then we die. As far as I can see the only point of being born is so that we can live. As far as our purpose for living, I think that's different for everyone. Some people live to die. I like to think that I live to let others choose why they want to live. And I may someday die for that same reason. Which one are you?"

Summer smirked "you didn't answer my question."

Ozpin stood and walked to the door "not my question to answer. Think about that for a while."

* * *

August

Arthur walked into the training room. His team was in the middle of an exercise. Summer was on top of one of about a dozen stone pillars scattered throughout the room. Peter saw her from behind one of the other columns and pulled out his weapon. Ozpin made eye contact with Summer and nodded in understanding when she flicked her eyes towards Peter. Summer dropped down from her perch and darted behind one of the obelisks. When Peter got out from behind cover to follow her Ozpin moved into position behind him. As Peter held his axe up judging his chances of being able to make the throw Ozpin silently rushed up behind him and jabbed his cane into the man's back slowly extending the point in the tip.

Ozpin transformed his cane into its sword form and declared his victory "you're out."

Peter turned around and glared at Ozpin "why do you and summer always team up?"

Ozpin smiled "it always works, doesn't it?" His smile fell when a scythe blade wrapped around his neck from behind him.

Summer gently spun Ozpin around and lowered her blade "I win."

Peter sighed "again"

Ozpin asked her "what's the score? Mine is 3, Peter is 4"

Summer interrupted "13, not counting today."

Arthur clapped to get their attention "before you start another round I have some news. We have a mission." The three quickly held all their focus on the older man who had just walked in. Arthur held up a picture of a forest. There was a dark blur visible between the trees.

The three recruits stared at the image. Peter turned to Arthur "what the frell is that?"

Arthur grinned in anticipation "that's what we have to find out."

* * *

Up next: September


	6. 15 BP Sep

Special thanks to the "Alien" franchise writers for inventing the concept of acidic blood.

* * *

**15 BP September (60 years before team RWBY)**

* * *

Peter sat on the train next to the rest of his team. Arthur turned towards him " well I suppose now Is as good a time as any. Peter? Do you want to tell the others where we're going?"

Ozpin and Summer looked at Peter questioningly. Peter sighed and looked back at them "we're going back to my home. I recognized the forest in the photo. I used to hide there with Fu when we didn't want to go to bed. You're gonna get to see where I'm from."

Ozpin nodded "about time we met Fu. We've heard so much she's practically part of the team already." Peter smiled.

When they arrived Fu was there waiting for them. Peter walked up to her the second the train door opened "hey."

Fu calmly responded "hey." The two simultaneously sprouted huge smiles and hugged "it's great to see you."

Peter tugged her hood farther down her face "likewise."

Fu turned towards the three people standing behind him "I take it these are your teammates." She walked up to Ozpin "green clothes, cane, glasses, you must be Ozpin." She shook his hand and moved on before he could respond "and here we have the lovely Summer Rose." She leaned in towards Summer's ear and spoke in a stage whisper "If he falls in love with you and you break his heart I'll track you down and tear your heart from your chest." Everyone felt a chill as they heard the warning.

Summer leaned over imitating the previous stage whisper "don't worry about it. If he fell in love with me I don't think I could keep my hands off him."

Fu laughed at the shade of pink that quickly covered Peter's face "relax dude. She's got her eye on someone else I think."

Summer deadpanned with total calm "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Fu shook her head "you're a crazy good liar. Be careful of this one, Peter."

Fu moved on to the final teammate "which means you must be Arthur. The one legend to rule them all."

Arthur shook her hand with great enthusiasm "I don't rule anyone. I just brought them all together."

Ozpin chimed in "he's being modest."

Fu nodded "the best ones always are." She quickly drew the sword from Arthur's sheath and started swinging it through the air with expert form "it's a gorgeous blade. You did a great job forging it."

Arthur grabbed her arm and took his sword back "I put a lot of work into it. I'm glad you like it. Though next time you should ask before borrowing it." Arthur sheathed his weapon "now if you'd be so kind as to direct us to the echo woods we can be on our way."

Peter spoke for Fu "actually I believe she was planning to guide us there personally. It's been a few years since I've been there and she knows the way."

Ozpin smiled at that "even better! We can learn all about each other."

Summer interrupted "at least what Peter hasn't already told us."

Fu turned to the other woman "what all has he told you?"

Peter reassured her "nothing too personal."

Arthur noticed an odd movement under Fu's hood. Once they reached the woods Arthur turned to Peter "so why did you never mention her heritage before?"

Peter froze "her heritage?"

Fu stepped forward "it's ok Peter. Arthur figured it out back at the station. He didn't say anything because he figured I didn't want it going public. Anyway any friends of yours are trustworthy as far as I'm concerned." She dropped her hood revealing the bat ears affixed to her head. After a few seconds she looked around at the group "really? No-one has anything to say? No-one cares that I'm a faunus?" She turned towards Peter in disbelief "you managed to join the only racist-free military team in vale."

Arthur laughed "that might be a bit of an exaggeration, not by much though. Anyway you could have tentacles and I wouldn't care. I'm happy to have you here."

Fu signaled for the group to stop walking "did anyone else hear that?"

Peter responded "I did."

Ozpin saw something fast moving through the trees "it's here."

The group quickly formed a circle. The team drew their weapons as Fu spread out her arms revealing claws and wing membranes. Summer pointed her blade forward into the dark woods. Ozpin unfolded the blade from his cane. Peter pointed his blunderbuss at any sounds he could detect. Arthur expanded his shield and held his sword out. Peter fired a shot into the woods and there was a shriek unlike anything they had heard before. Summer squinted into the dark and saw several shadows moving at astounding speeds "there's more than one."

Arthur felt a disturbance and quickly looked up just in time to see claws and teeth coming down on top of him. He sliced it's head off on the way down only to be burned when a drop of blood fell on his arm. He reported to the team "they're in the trees. Their blood is acidic."

Fu rolled out of the way as one fell above her. She kicked it to get it angry and started running towards a nearby tree. She flipped up the tree and over behind the raptor. It ran full speed into the trunk and broke it's skull.

Ozpin saw several shadows at the top of one tree. He signaled to Summer and she chopped at the bark. In a few seconds the tree was severed from the ground and Ozpin swiftly dealt with the fanged beasts that fell from the newly unstable branches.

Peter saw a blur and fired at it as quickly as he could line up the shot. It fell to the ground in front off him. He heard something above him and spun his weapon around to use the axe head against it. The burning blood spilled and a moment later Arthur's shield came up above him as an arm forced him to the ground. The acid dripped over the side like rain on an umbrella. Peter looked up just in time to see a nod from Fu in the treetops and Peter threw his axe at the reptile behind her as she dropped down off the branch. The axe flew just over her head and embedded itself in between the cold-blooded soulless eyes.

Arthur saw one in the bushes in front of him but he could feel the gaze of the creature to his left. The one in the bushes was a decoy. He started running towards the Bush to appear as if he had fallen for the trap. When the raptor to his left darted towards him he raised his shield and bashed its skull in. He then proceeded to the bushes to behead the decoy.

Summer and Ozpin dispatched the last few raptors and turned towards Arthur. Summer asked him "was that what we came here for?"

Arthur shook his head "no, not nearly big enough." A thunderous roar echoed throughout the forest. Arthur's eyes widened "that would be big enough." The five ran in the direction of the deafening sound. They heard trees cracking as the massive trunks were torn from the earth. They all stopped in their tracks when an enormous scaled head became visible over the treetops. "Definitely big enough."

The beast saw the group and roared at them. It started running towards them and opening its jaw as if readying for a meal. The group all drew their weapons. When the teeth were only a few meters away Ozpin jumped. While everyone else got out of the way of the great maw before them Ozpin dove right into it. The creature reeled back as Ozpin stabbed his cane into the roof of its mouth. Summer took this opportunity to start slashing at the massive clawed feet. This creature had the same blood as the others. Peter started firing at the creature. Fu ran up past Summer and started to climb up the giant leg. She flipped up on top of the beasts back and proceeded to approach its head. Ozpin dislodged from the mouth and came flying out and crashed into a tree near Peter. Fu climbed atop the nose and started clawing at its eyes. After a few seconds it shook her off and she went flying straight up into the air.

Arthur had been standing back and observing the creature. He noticed that it used its tail to balance for its massive head. He saw the blinded and wounded creature of darkness turn to face away from him and he knew that this was his shot. He rushed towards the beast and slid underneath its swinging tail. When he had reached the base of the tail he swung upward with his Crocea Mors. The tail fell to the ground and Arthur held up his shield to prevent the blood from burning him. The great creature had only one good leg and no balance. It blindly staggered directly into a large rock and fell over. It's head was the only thing that moved now as it let out a pained cry for help. No help would come. Summer walked over and slit its throat allowing it to die quickly.

Ozpin groaned and stood to take in the scene before him. He looked around before he asked "Where is Fu?"

"Right here." came the response from directly above. He looked up and could see her slowly gliding through the air on her wing membranes. she dropped her arms to her sides and started to plummet before opening them once again to swoop back into the air. She came to a landing next to Summer and brushed herself off "You don't have to worry about me. That isn't the first time i've found myself a dozen meters in the air with no landing strategy."

Ozpin thought briefly on the importance of a good landing strategy and considered how such a thing could be used to evaluate a huntsmen's skill. Arthur looked around at his team. He looked at the beast they had slain. An idea popped into his head "What should we name these things?"

Peter looked at him "The Grimm?"

"Yeah, we discovered this species. We get to name it."

They all thought for a second. Summer spoke up first "how about Scatter and Wilt."

Ozpin chimed in "Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus Rex?"

Peter gave his idea "Fleshbane and Giant Fleshbane."

Fu gave her opinion "I like Fleshbane."

Arthur looked at everyone else and there were no objections "Alright, Fleshbane it is. Let's document the corpses as well as we can and write a detailed report on their abilities and weaknesses. That way if someone else finds some they'll know how to deal with them."

The five returned to the village and wrote up their reports. Once they had done that it was time for the team to leave. They found their way to the train station and Peter found himself missing his best friend already. He was stepping onto the train when he heard her voice "Wait! stop the train! I'm coming with you!" He looked out and saw her running at top speed for the now moving train. Peter pulled the door open and jammed his weapon into the gap in an attempt to slow the movement. He held out his hand to the Faunus and Fu just barely was able to grab it. When he had pulled her onboard and retrieved his axe the two exchanged a smile "Hi."

Peter responded "Hi, so i guess i'm stuck with you huh."

Fu bent over to catch her breath as she punched him in the arm "You don't get rid of me that easily." Peter smiled and sat down between Arthur and an empty seat that was quickly filled by Fu. She raised her hood that had fallen during the rush to get on the train and leaned against her best friend. As far as train rides go this was going to be a good one.


	7. 15 BP Oct-Dec

Author's note: October and November are to be considered my entry for Friday of RWBY relationship week.

* * *

**15 BP October-December (60 years before team RWBY)**

* * *

October

It was halloween and all the children were dressing up as beowolves and nevermores for the season. The team had their own celebration planned. Arthur had baked several large pies and Summer had rented every B-grade horror movie she could find. She had "Bikini from Hell", "Friday Night on 13th Steet", "Boarbamore!", "Bride of Megastalker" and "Through the Fire and the Flames". By all accounts it was all the worst horror movies ever made. What the others didn't know was that the last movie "Cabin in the Woods" wasn't actually terrible. It wasn't really horror but it certainly wasn't terrible. Summer had been trying to get the team to watch it for weeks now and it seemed this was her only chance to force them into it. She arrived at the home theater that Arthur had set up in their base with the large stack of tapes. She set them down on the table in order and made her presence known "Hey y'all. I got the movies!"

Everyone dropped the game controllers after someone paused their match and they all rushed over to see what movies she had picked up. Ozpin was the first to point out the obvious "The movies have no labels."

Summer grinned slightly "Yup, you're just going to have to watch them if you want to know what they are."

Peter smiled "Once i PWN these two at this game Monstrous Movie Marathon is so on!"

Summer laughed at his enthusiasm. She looked around at all the costumes everyone was wearing. She was wearing the least revealing beowolf costume she could find. She still felt a bit indecent with how low the neckline was. Ozpin was dressed as… Arthur? She looked again to make sure. Ozpin was indeed wearing a spare set of Arthur's clothing. Peter just had a nametag that said "Edgar" on it. She'd have to ask him to explain that later. Fu had felt covering her ears and was wearing a black mask and cape. She also had on what looked like body armor and a belt with lots of small pouches on it. Summer would have to ask her about that too. Summer walked into the kitchen and saw Arthur weaving strips of piecrust around each other with great ease. He was dressed as a giant hotdog. She walked over to him and said hello "Hey there, the movies are here."

Arthur looked up from his work for a moment to shoot her a smile "Great! the last pie will be done in a few minutes and then we can start."

Summer looked around the kitchen on her way out. There were nine kinds of pie on the various countertops. She saw 3 pumpkin, a chocolate, he was making the apple, there was a cherry, a blueberry, a pecan and one other kind she didn't even recognize. It looked as if the different pumpkins had other ingredients and spices in them as well. She thought a month in advance towards thanksgiving and shuddered at the thought of what Arthur would do then.

Fu won the "Doom" match that had been going on when Summer had arrived. Fu stood with a shout and threw her controler at the couch so that her hand would be free to point as she made her victory very well known to anyone else who may have been in the complex. Summer watched as Peter handed over 5 Lien to the Faunus. Peter pointed back at her and accused "You cheated. You could hear my controller movements with your bat ears!"

Fu stroked her ears lovingly "Don't you wish you had some." She stuck out her tongue at her long time friend as she sat down on the couch. She looked over to Ozpin "Second place has to set up the video player." Ozpin sighed and stood up to walk over and work with the mess of cables behind the tv.

Summer walked over to Ozpin with the first tape "Bikini from Hell" in hand. She looked at what he was doing for a moment before asking "Do you want some help with that? you just hooked up the speakers to the cable port. I don't even know why we have a cable for that."

Ozpin looked up at her in defeat "Technology isn't my strong suit."

Summer smiled at him "then maybe you should've thrown the match and paid the 5 Lien. Here let me take a look at it." She slid into the passage behind the tv and was examining cables and connections when she realized how close she was standing to Ozpin. She took a step back and started unplugging and replugging things. Over the next half hour the two were able to get the correct setup to watch the movies.

They heard a call from Fu on the other side of the large display "Hey, could you two stop making out and fix the darn tv so we can start our marathon? The pie is starting to get cold!"

Summer answered "We just finished." She walked around the tv and picked up the remote. She pushed the play button and was pleased to see the giant screen flash to life with an image of several dozen presumably dead young women in bikinis with copious amounts of fake blood.

The next few hours were some of the most fun she had ever had. They cringed at the excessive gore and nudity and they laughed at the nonsensicality of Boarbamore having mind control powers. They joked about the twist ending in "Friday Night on 13th Street".

Then the moment Summer had been waiting for arrived. She put in the last tape and pressed play as Peter grabbed the last slice of pie. She loved watching the astonishment on their faces at all the many intriguing twists and hints. Once the movie was over everyone was wide-eyed and chattering with discussion on the ending. Summer had to explain a few things that hadn't made sense to her either the first time through. It was a great night, a night to remember. Halloween would quickly become the team's favorite holiday over the next few years. Arthur would always bake pie and Summer would always bring the worst movies she could find with one great one thrown into the mix. That first halloween would always be special though. The kind of night that can spawn a tradition. A tradition held by some for decades to come.

* * *

November

Summer awoke with a scream. Ozpin came rushing in from the adjacent room. He saw her crying on the bed and sat next to her placing a consoling arm around her. It was a few seconds before she even noticed he was there. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tried to get a grip on her emotions.

Ozpin quietly inquired "was it a nightmare?"

Summer nodded. She gathered her thoughts for a few seconds before continuing "it was my mother, Winter. She was helping a faunus through some tunnels. The faunus started to change into... something else. Its eyes were black as night. It attacked her, only now she's me. It attacks me and swallows me whole. I'm surrounded by darkness and the only light is getting farther away every second. Eventually there's no light left and I'm all alone. Trapped in eternal darkness."

Ozpin listened carefully and nodded in understanding. He waited a few moments before responding "but it was just a dream. You're safe now."

Summer looked at him "am I?"

Ozpin put a reassuring tone in his voice "yes, as long as we remain teammates and friends I will always protect you."

Summer stared blankly at the wall "I'm not sure if that'll be enough." The two sat there for several more minutes before Ozpin felt it was ok to go back to his own room. On his way back he noticed Peter's room across the hall was empty as usual.

* * *

December

It was new years eve. The clock read 11:13 and merriment filled the air. They still had a Dustmas tree up from almost a week before but no-one really cared enough to take it down. It was still green after all. Peter tried his best to slip away from the celebration unnoticed. Fu noticed. She had noticed him slipping out of his room around 11 every night since she had arrived. Now she was very curious. She quietly slipped away from the other three who were currently engaged in a 3-player chess drinking game. She followed Peter into the woods and watched as he walked further and further into total wilderness. He started to remove his clothing. She considered leaving but her curiosity was even more peaked than before. She watched as he stuffed his clothing into a hollow tree and stood naked in the center of a large clearing. Thankfully he was facing away from her. She noticed that this had not always been a clearing. Something had ripped the trees up at the roots. Meanwhile the game had reached its end and the three at the party were ready to start the midnight countdown.

"10"

Peter started to scream in agony and collapsed to the ground.

"9"

Loud cracking sounds could be heard echoing throughout the forest, almost like bones being broken.

"8"

Peter's fingers started to fall off revealing claws underneath the skin.

"7"

He started to sprout hair and his skin started to turn black. His teeth started to fall out.

"6"

His spine contorted and stretched. He grew taller and started to slouch like a creature on all fours. His eyeballs fell out onto the snow.

"5"

The last bits of his skin shed off. His last teeth fell to the ground.

"4"

Fangs grew in to replace the old teeth as his jaw extended into a snout. Bone shards started to push their way through the skin on his back.

"3"

The creature began eating the pile of discarded flesh that lay on the ground.

"2"

Fu looked upon the creature in horror as she recognized it from the pictures in the news. It was the alpha Beowolf known only as The Black Terror.

"1"

The Black Terror finished its first meal of the night and howled at the moon. Fu leaned slightly too far forward trying to get a closer look.

"Happy New Year!"

The branch Fu was on cracked and she fell to the ground in front of the beast her friend had turned into. As drinks were finished at the party none present would remember Fu ran for her life on a night she would never forget. She had known that werewolves existed. She just never thought that Peter would be one. She barely managed to outrun the creature and quickly retreated back to what she felt was a safe distance. She continued to follow the creature through the night.

* * *

14 BP January 1st, 5:59 AM (59 years before team RWBY)

Fu had followed the beast and watched it closely. When it had been busy eating an animal it had killed she had retrieved Peter's clothing from the tree. It looked as though it were transforming back now. Once the last remains of hair fell to the ground she jumped down to greet her friend. It was truly no wonder that Peter ate so much if he had to keep up with all the hair and skin that he shed every morning.

She gently spoke up to alert him to her presence "Peter?" He turned to look at her and his eyes were black. He snarled at her before the color started to return to his eyes. He snapped out of his predatory stance and saw who stood before him.

He looked down at the pile of hair and skin that he had just shed "so now you know."

Fu nodded "you're a faunus, a werewolf, and The Black Terror."

Peter took the bundle of clothes she handed him and nodded. She turned around respectively as he put on his clothes. They started to walk back towards the base. Arthur would be awake in only half an hour.

Fu broke the silence "I think I should go home. I don't belong here with your team."

Peter nodded "ok, you're welcome to visit anytime you want to."

Fu nodded and smiled "I know. That is a privilege I will certainly utilize. Thank you."

The rest of the walk remained mostly silent. They returned just in time for Peter to get into bed so that he could pretend to be asleep. Fu started a movie in the middle so that it would appear that she had been there the whole time. A few minutes later Arthur awoke. He didn't remember them leaving the previous night. Not a soul suspected that they had ever been gone.

* * *

Up next: 54 years later


	8. 40 AP

Authors note: this is the latest in the timeline that this fic goes in the current outline I have.

* * *

**40 AP (5 years before team RWBY)**

* * *

Blake held her protest sign high and yelled as loudly as she was able. This store had released an advertisement that featured a faunus killing a man for not buying the store product for him. That sort of mistreatment and stereotyping in the media was not acceptable. She stood at the front of the crowd of White Fang that had gathered. She was small but she certainly didn't go unnoticed. Last year she had earned the "biggest personal field impact" medal. She was hoping to win it for the third year in a row this year. She looked over when she heard footsteps she recognized. Adam was here. He had a loud voice. He could help with the protest.

Adam arrived at the peaceful protest. He saw several people there he recognized, including Blake. Blake wasn't supposed to be here. Well it was too late to stop now. The charges were already in place. He nodded to a faunus wearing a pin with three red claw marks on it. The faunus nodded back and pulled out weapons. Adam watched as every faunus in the area wearing a claw mark pin was rapidly armed. He glanced over at the confused look on Blake's face. She was so young, so innocent.

He drew his sword and walked to the front of the now combat ready crowd. He raised his sword to point towards the shop and gave the signal "Let's give 'em hell! They must pay for what they have done!" The crowd cheered in approval and charged the doors. It was seconds before someone had smashed through the windows. It was only minutes before someone had scattered burn dust and the whole shop caught ablaze. On the way out Adam noticed Blake standing in front of the store. She had dropped her sign and was just watching the building burn. Adam grabbed her by the arm and pulled her with him. She couldn't be there when the cops arrived.

Peter stood before the group of people. This was the lineup of all the people who had been present at the burning. He looked at the girl at the end of the line for a few seconds before speaking to her "Blake, you may go." The girl nodded and ran out as quickly as she could. Peter eyed the rest of the people. He noticed that more than half of them were wearing red claw pins, the mark of The White Wolf. He frowned. He instructed each person without a pin to leave one-by-one. A dozen or so people remained, Adam among them. Peter turned to Adam "did The White Wolf tell you to burn the shop?"

Adam didn't speak. Someone else did "he told us to teach 'em a lesson. So that's what I did." The boy held a flame in his hands as he spoke.

Peter walked over to the pyromaniac "you burned the store down?"

The boy nodded "sure did"

Peter gave him a stern glare before speaking "can you tell me who The White Wolf is?"

The boy looked up at him "he is the voice of the faunus. He is the new leader of The White Fang."

Peter shouted in interruption "I'm the leader of The White Fang!" The pyromaniac smirked at the older man. Peter glared back "now tell me. Who is The White Wolf?"

The boy answered again "the leader of the revolution. Viva la faunus!"

Every member of the line except Adam responded to this "Viva la faunus!"

Adam knew better than to respond in front of one of the only people left of the old regime with enough power to fire him. That's how he had stayed in when so many White Wolf followers had been thrown out. It's why he was the only one in that line to walk out of that room still a member of The White Fang.

Peter called in Blake. When she arrived he gestured for her to take a seat and poured them both some tea "tell me what you saw at the burning yesterday. I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to know everything you saw."

Blake thought back to the shock of seeing Adam drawing his weapon to lead the charge. She thought about his face as he had exited the burning structure. She lied to protect him "I didn't see anything." Peter raised an eyebrow at this. She'd have to do better than that "I was outside the whole time. One minute it was a peaceful protest and the next people were charging the storefront with weapons drawn. Sometime after that someone set the building on fire. I didn't see any distinct faces, just a crowd of misguided individuals."

Peter looked at her a moment longer "ok, you may go."

Blake hesitated "can I ask you something?" He nodded and gestured for her to continue. Blake formed the words in her mouth before speaking "have you ever thought you had known someone so well that they could never change?"

Peter lightly smiled "dear child, I used to think of this organization in much that same light."

Blake questioned further "but something changed?"

Peter nodded "if there's one thing my years on this planet have taught me, it's that everything changes eventually. The White Fang is no different. There's a big change coming very soon. Have you heard anything about The White Wolf?" Blake shook her head. Peter told her "He's the next leader of The White Fang, wether I like it or not. He's winning people over with the idea of a revolution. None of these kids have ever fought in a real war. They don't know what war would mean. Nowhere in the world would be safe or sacred anymore. Teachers would be killing students at schools and there would be armies clashing in the streets. There are no winners in war, only survivors."

Blake asked him "so why do people fight in wars if no-one ever wins?"

Port thought for a moment "because they're all too scared that the other guy is going to pull the trigger first. They would all rather be responsible for countless unimaginable horrors than just lay down and die with dignity and honor. I'm no different. I've fought to survive just like everyone else does eventually. The only difference is that I know what choice I'm making. I know that I'm choosing to leave nothing behind me but a legacy of war."

Blake reached into her bag and pulled out a book "I think you should read this. It's what stopped me from leaving The White Fang a few years ago." She slid the book across the desk. Peter read the title.

"Why are we here?" By Ozpin

He smiled. She had given him exactly the book he needed to see. He looked down at the book as he spoke "none of us are born with a purpose for living. We have to make that ourselves. If we live without purpose then death holds no less merit than life. I should sooner die too uphold my purpose for living than uphold my own life at the cost of its own value above death."

Blake nodded "so you've read it?"

Peter nodded "yes, many years ago when the sky was much younger than it is now."

Blake stood and walked toward the door "maybe you should think about that some. It might help you understand why some feel a revolution to be necessary."

A few hours later Adam was sent on a mission deemed of utmost importance by The White Wolf. He was sent along with three other people to eliminate the last remaining great power of the old regime. He stood outside Port's office. He gave the signal and the group rushed in only to find the place abandoned. Only a note was left.

* * *

"To The White Wolf

I do not wish for our conflict to be the catalyst of war. I do not wish to see people die so that your teachings may be kept in check. I do not wish to undermine the values of this organization myself so that they may not be undermined by yourself.

Therefore this is to be considered as my resignation letter from the leadership of The White Fang. I must find my purpose elsewhere since it no longer matches with the changing purpose of this office that I had thought myself to have known so well.

Signed Peter Port,

former leader of The White Fang."

* * *

Adam read it several times through. He turned to his team "it seems that our esteemed leader has resigned. The White Wolf will be most pleased to hear this news. Viva la faunus."

The next day The White Wolf was voted into office as the new leader of The White Fang.

Blake was full of confusion because of the things she had recently seen Adam do. She thought about his face as he left the burning building. It was so full of purpose, so full of confidence. Perhaps there had been a good reason for all he had done. Perhaps he knew something she didn't. There had to be some reasonable explanation. She couldn't have been so wrong about him, could she?

One week later Peter stood at the gates of beacon academy. Perhaps this would be where his new purpose resided, in the company of old friends.

Ozpin was doing a large stack of paperwork when there was a knock at the door. He stood and walked over to answer it. He opened the door and saw Peter Port standing outside his office "is it Halloween already?"

Peter responded "if it were would I not be in costume, my dear friend?"

Ozpin walked back over to his desk "please, come in. To what do I owe this visit?"

Peter sat across from Ozpin "I'd like to take you up on that teaching job you offered me when you first opened this school, if I may."

Ozpin got a perplexed look on his brow "I thought you were busy with your own project, The White Fang. What happened?"

Peter looked off behind Ozpin for a second "things changed. A new up-and-coming individual known only as The White Wolf has the kids dreaming of revolution. I started a pacifist organization but not everyone in it were pacifists. that is no longer where my purpose resides. A very clever little girl helped more realize that." As he spoke the last words he slid the book she had given him towards Ozpin.

Ozpin looked at the book "my book, it was based off of a conversation I had with Summer when we first met. It took me years to write this."

Peter nodded "it is a good book. It has helped me many times when I needed your council but had not the proper time or communication devices to consult you personally."

A few seconds later Ozpin asked him "so what would you like to teach?"

Peter thought for a moment "I have a pretty unique understanding of the Grimm."

Ozpin commented "our Grimm Studies teacher just quit last week. You start tomorrow morning at 10:35."

Peter shook Ozpin's hand "thank you my friend."

Ozpin responded "always"

* * *

Up next: 70 years earlier


	9. Author's apology to the readers

Author's apology:

* * *

I'm sorry to anyone who might be reading this but I won't be able to write anything for at least a week and probably until after christmas.

My girlfriend (You may know her as Leia 96. Check her out, she's really good.) recently broke up with me and I'm going to need some time to recover emotionally before I can write anything that seems even remotely in character.

In the meantime there might be a few tragedy stories on my profile, or not, depending on if I can make myself write even that much.

As always you can feel free to PM me with any requests and/or feedback (positive or not).

You all are amazing for sticking with me this far and I hope that, given some time, I can reward you all for your wasted time by wasting even more of all of our time. ( =


	10. 30 BP

Author's notes: Well it took substantially longer than I expected to get back into the character's heads. But Legacy of War is finally back! ( =

Also would anyone be interested in hearing about the lives of Winter Rose and Gilgamesh Arc? I wasn't initially planning to go back that far but I have no shortage of ideas either. PM or review if that would be something you'd be interested in (or if you have any other kind of feedback for that matter.)

* * *

**30 BP (75 years before team RWBY)**

* * *

Winter Rose was going shopping. Dustmas was coming up and she had to get presents for her husband and child. She knew her husband would like a new coffee maker but she couldn't quite decide what to get for her 5 year old daughter, Summer.

She looked at Summer's list. It was filled with things like "trip to the moon" and "visit from Gilgamesh Arc". She considered writing to someone to check if the legendary hunter was busy before she realized she wouldn't even know who to contact.

She eventually decided on a good book and a large chocolate Beowolf. She picked up a copy of "Encounter at Farpoint" and grabbed the largest chocolate Beowolf they had that wasn't bigger than could be finished before it spoiled.

As she was leaving the store. She saw Summer Rose waiting for her outside. Winter tried to hide the bags of presents behind her own body. She saw her husband's face go white and felt a barrel jab into the back of her neck.

A man spoke to her "are you Winter Rose?"

She very calmly responded "yes"

The man answered quickly "my name is Elliot Georgia. Some may call you a 'hero'. I know better. I know you are nothing more than a faunus sympathizer. You want the faunus to be free. You want them to be equals. That makes you just as inhuman as they are. You are guilty of high treason against the human race. Sentence is death. Prepare for immediate execution. May the gods have mercy on your soul."

Winter felt the position and angle of the gun on her neck and knew exactly where he was behind her. She quickly elbowed him in the nose and started running towards the store. She hoped that he wouldn't dare to follow her into the crowds within. She was wrong. He recovered a few seconds later and started to chase her towards the store. He followed her into the flock of holiday shoppers. He immediately pointed his gun into the air and fired several shots. The people chaotically cleared the area around him. He saw Winter and ran after her while shooting in her direction. After not too long Winter had circled the whole store and left again. Eliot followed.

He caught up with her outside the store and grabbed her by the arm. He threw her down to the ground and lifted his weapon. Summer Rose could do nothing to stop the events unfolding before her eyes. Elliot pulled the trigger and there was a blinding flash. Summer watched as Winter went limp on the pavement above a growing puddle of blood. Summer watched her mother die.

* * *

2 years later

Peter Port arrived at school just like any other day. He paid attention in class and did as the teachers told. He skipped recess to talk with the teacher as usual. When lunch came around he quickly made his way to an empty table and sat down to eat. He noticed something in the corner of his eye that made him freeze to look. He saw a girl his age sitting alone a few tables over. He didn't recognize her. She must have been new. She seemed sad and wore a hood.

He picked up his bag and walked over to say hello "hi, my name is Peter. Can I sit here?"

Fu McGinnis looked up at the boy "sure, go ahead."

Peter sat and opened his lunch. He looked at Fu a bit closer. He saw something moving under her hood "why is your hood moving?"

Fu answered "I use it to hide my ears." She bent back a corner of her hood to show him one of her ears "I'm a faunus."

Peter reached over and pulled her hood down "you shouldn't hide your ears. Why would you want to do that?"

Fu slapped his hand away and rapidly lifted the hood back into place. It was too late. The damage had been done. A girl from a nearby table had seen her ears.

The girl walked over and introduced herself "hi, my name is Darla, Darla Winchester. I love your ears! They make you look like a freak." Darla grabbed the back of Fu's head and rammed it into the table.

Peter quickly pushed Darla away "get away from her! What's your problem?"

Darla laughed "my problem is that a faunus killed my grandfather. I don't trust them. So I think batgirl here needs to go."

Peter narrowed his eyes at her "she's not going anywhere. If you wanna change that you'll have to get through me first."

Darla turned to walk away "whatever, freaks"

It was only then that Peter looked back at Fu. Her mouth was bleeding and she was scrambling under the table searching for something.

Peter crouched down next to her "what are you looking for? Are you ok?"

Fu didn't stop searching "I'm fine. That bully knocked out my lucky tooth."

Peter asked as he started looking as well "your lucky tooth?"

Fu nodded "yeah, my mom says it's made of ivory. Dad was gonna have it removed in a few years so we could sell it. He said we could get a thousand Lien for it and he was gonna let me keep a hundred of it."

Peter saw an air conditioning vent and looked inside "is that it?"

Fu pushed him aside to look at the sharp white object "yeah, that's it." The bell rang and she reluctantly was forced to abandoned the tooth.

The next day at recess Peter found his way into the lunch room. He found the grate and pulled out a screwdriver he had borrowed from his father's toolbox. A few minutes later he had the tooth in hand and had reattached the vent before the bell went off that signaled the end of recess.

When lunch came he walked over to the table where Fu was sitting. He stopped a meter away and looked at her apologetically "I'm sorry I showed your ears to everyone. I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret."

Fu looked down at the floor "that's ok. It's not your fault Darla is a big fat meanie."

Peter outstretched his hand with the fang in it "I found this."

Fu looked at his hand in disbelief "how did you get that?"

Peter laughed "I had to break a lot of rules. I had to get it back because it was my fault you lost it. Can we be friends now?"

Fu smiled at the boy as she took the white fang from his hand "I'd like that. I think I'd like to have friends."

* * *

**25 BP (70 years before team RWBY)**

Arthur Arc knew that something big was coming. He just couldn't quite tell what. He had sensed it through his aura. No one believed him. He needed proof. He was headed to the library to research what it might be that he had detected.

He turned through dozens of old tomes and volumes filled with legends and prophecies that spoke of all nature of events that could merit the term "apocalypse". It was the only word he could think of to describe what he knew was coming.

Eventually he found an ancient text that spoke of the original crystal, the source of all dust in the world. The legend went that when humanity has lost all hope against the Grimm they had gone to a more powerful entity for help. They had contacted a being by the name of "Grod" and asked for a weapon to be used to fight the Grimm. Grod gave them a crystal that create transformed the rock around it into dust. They used that dust to fight against the Grimm but they forgot their side of the bargain. Grod had asked for one thing when he had given them the crystal. He had asked that they destroy the crystal once they were done with it as Grod did not believe that humanity was ready for the power it held. Eventually the crystal was lost and forgotten.

Arthur read this tale and decided to research anything else related to Grod. He found a book of prophecies. It spoke of the return of Grod on the day of dark alignment. It stated that when Grod returned it would search for the crystal. If it found the crystal still intact then it would shatter Remnant into fragments in the sky. Nothing would survive such an event. Arthur searched for further mention of the day of dark alignment. Eventually he found a volume that described a day when all the darkness in the world would align and extinguish all life. It said that the day would come on the 50th anniversary of the night as bright as day.

He found references to a night when the stars had shined much brighter than on any other night. He finally found a dated historical account. The night as bright as day had come only 12 days short of 50 years ago. Arthur's brain rattled with information but eventually one factoid came to the surface and made itself very visible. The day of dark alignment was in 12 days. Arthur had 12 days to stop the end of the world.

* * *

11 days til dark alignment

Arthur awoke and instantly grabbed all the books he had used for research to take his findings to someone. His father would have been perfect for this if he hadn't have died a few years back. He decided to go to the military. He found a military base and tried to walk through the gates before a guard held out an arm in front of him.

The guard asked him "name and identification?"

Arthur sighed "Arthur, and I don't have any ID but I'm here on a matter of utmost importance. The fate of the world may well rest on what I do today. Which means you have a choice to make. You can either follow regulations to the letter and stop an unarmed man from entering an area where literally everyone is armed and very dangerous or you can let me talk to your superior officer and quite possibly save the world in the process. Now, what are you going to do?"

The guard led him to the colonel in charge of the base. Arthur walked into the office and dropped the pile of paper on the colonel's desk.

The colonel spoke calmly but strictly "what is all this? And please summarize it for me. I don't have 5 hours to spare before I decide if you're worth my time."

Arthur gave a quick nod "I understand, I'll keep it brief. I believe that I have found sufficient evidence to suggest that a global devastation event may be only 11 days away."

The colonel looked at him "I'm going to bed a bit more than that to decide if you're crazy or not."

Arthur pulled out a sheet of old paper and placed it in front of the colonel "you can see here references to a "day of dark alignment" when, if the original crystal is still intact, the world will shatter into fragments in the sky. I also found reference to a day when darkness would align that has been predicted by some to take place on the 50th year since "the night as bright as day". Then I found historical accounts from almost 50 years ago to the day that described a night when the stars lit up the night giving the effect of 72 hours of daylight."

The colonel interrupted "that was the night as bright as day. Which makes the day of dark alignment 11 days from now."

Arthur nodded "exactly"

The colonel asked "so what would you have me do about it?"

Arthur's smile dropped "what do you mean?"

The colonel pointed at the papers "I mean that you still have no evidence pointing to the location of the crystal. We can't exactly destroy a crystal we can't find."

Arthur answered "that's not entirely true. I did find this passage that speaks of the day the crystal was lost. It states that it was being moved to the place closest to the Sun when it fell to the place that's farthest from."

The colonel thought for a moment "the place closest to the Sun sounds like Mt. Sol. It's the tallest mountain on this side of remnant."

Arthur nodded "any ideas on the place farthest from?"

The colonel shook his head "there's nothing near the mountain for several kilometers except woods and a few shallow caves."

Arthur frowned "well Mt. Sol is still the best bet we have. How many men can you spare?"

The colonel laughed "if you're right and this really is the apocalypse then we'll need all the help we can get. If you're wrong then I lose my job either way. I'm mobilizing the whole base."

Arthur smiled "that just might be enough."

* * *

Up next: 9 days later


End file.
